The Milwaukee Bucks usually don’t have a surplus of anything intriguing (unless you have some unhealthy admiration for the power forward position).

This summer, however, the Bucks do have something they haven’t had in quite some time: Options. They are at a unique crossroads where they could legitimately choose any direction for the franchise to head in and have it be justifiable. With the arrival of a new head coach and a sizable amount of money to spend (or not spend) however they please, this Bucks offseason could be one of the most important ones in recent memory.

Disclaimer: Having a lot of options isn’t necessarily a good thing. Some directions that may be explored or experimented with may not be very wise. Please keep that in mind when we dive in to the scenarios.

As with any team, there are really three directions your franchise can head: the rebuild (more commonly known as tanking), the stick with what you have/make minor tweaks/hope for the best, and the ”go for it” scenarios. The Bucks technically can make a play at all three scenarios, but which one is the most likable and likely? Which one is the best? Let’s dive in.

“GOING FOR IT”

The 1971 Milwaukee Bucks. The last edition to win the NBA title.

It’s important to stress here that the phrase ”going for it” is completely relative to where you stand right now. For most playoff teams (excluding Milwaukee, Boston, and Atlanta), ”going for it” means making the necessary adjustments and signings to make a run at the title eventually. As is the case in Milwaukee, ”going for it” would be making a charge towards the second round and, maybe if all things go absolutely perfectly, becoming a surprise conference finals participant. That is highly unlikely, considering the current competition in the top half of the Eastern Conference and Milwaukee’s track record since 2001, but crazier things have probably happened.

Likability factor: 10 out of 10. Nobody in Milwaukee would be upset if the Bucks were suddenly in the mix to do damage in the playoffs.

Likelihood: .5 out of 10. Don’t even think about thinking about getting your hopes up.

How it would happen: The Bucks would have to overpay Free Agent X and Free Agent Y to ensure they agree to come to Milwaukee, fill out the roster with average complimentary parts,and hope that regressions to Miami and Indiana occur, and hope that Brooklyn, Chicago, and New York don’t make any sort of progress to the top of the conference.

Examples: Think of last year’s Nets, ideally with less future sacrificing.

This simply is not something the Bucks could or should explore. They are not capable of making such an effort wisely, even if they think they can field a pretty good team in the next few years. That leads me to the next category.

STAYING (AND TWEAKING) THE COURSE AND HOPING FOR THE BEST

The Bucks are no strangers to this view. The “we’ll field the best team possible each and every year” recycled quote has nearly become the masthead of the franchise for the better portion of the last decade. The idea behind it is relatively respectable, but it can get difficult with the constant flurry of players moving from one team to the other. Also it never really guarantees that the unit you assemble is going to be around long enough to maximize its potential. However, this may be considered the most safe option, so let’s see if the best plan for the Bucks is in here.

Option A: Bucks pair Brandon Jennings with free agent X and/or Y

Option B: Bucks pair Monta Ellis with free agent X and/or Y

Likability factor: 3 or 4 for Jennings, 4 for Ellis

Likelihood: 6/7

How it would happen: The Bucks decide to keep one of the back court tandem, decide to make a big-but-not-huge splash in free agency, fill in roster with complimentary parts.

Note: The split vote for Jennings is dependent on what deal he is signed to. While neither scenario is met with much optimism, Jennings could either come back under the qualifying offer of $4.3 million (which I’ll address later) or sign as a restricted free agent for anywhere from $9-13 million, depending on what other teams are making offers and how eager the Bucks are to retain him.

This would be a slight improvement over the current roster, and may amount to being a scary sixth seed, a la 2010. It’s not the most cost-friendly avenue to explore, either. Also consider that having three or more players making $10+ million on a team with no genuine star is not exactly a recipe for success (let alone not being a model followed by any other franchise).

Example (please note that this is just ONE example. Clearly other free agents could be in the mix): The Bucks trot out a “big three” of Jennings/Ellis, Andre Iguodala, and Josh Smith/Danny Granger

That looks sexier than the last year’s roster, but that really doesn’t do much as far as building something potentially potent is concerned.

How it would happen: The Bucks somehow coming to the conclusion that they were only one piece away from being something special, and essentially replacing J.J. Redick with a small forward candidate to ball alongside the duo.

If there was a ever a move representative of being stuck in the mud, this is it. I can’t imagine John Hammond and HerbKohl would sign off on this, but for that very reason I can see it happening. It may be the darkest of timelines, but it’s not an impossibility.

Example: Starting Brandon Jennings, Monta Ellis, and Josh Smith/Danny Granger/Andre Iguodala. Though Iggy would be a decent defensive combination with Larry Sanders, none of these trios suggest either immediate success or future growth.

Option D: Pay free agent X and Y, but at market value

Truth be told, this isn’t much different from the ”going for it” scenario. The only difference would be in the type of player the Bucks may go after. We’ve discussed possible third banana-type players in the last few options, but the ”going for it” types of Free Agents were more of the Chris Paul and Dwight Howard mold. Just wanted to clear that up.

Likability factor: 6 out of 10.

Likelihood: 4 out of 10.

How they would do it: Be one of the few teams willing to shell out money for good-not-great players, plain and simple.

Depending on who the free agents are, the Bucks could be able to lure a few more fans in with bigger names on the roster. Fans in the seats doesn’t equal a better product, though; it’s just heading down the same disappointing road but with more style.

How it would happen: This one is pretty obvious. The Bucks would decide which guard they want to roll with for the next three or four seasons, draft the replacement of whoever departs, and fill the rest of the roster with decent role players.

The reason this one has a decent likability factor is that the contract of Brandon Jennings may not be too awful. Ellis, if he chooses to re-sign, would get a gross amount of money, so that isn’t appealing, but if Jennings takes that $4.3 million qualifying offer and gets paired with someone who doesn’t need the ball as much as Ellis did, Jennings may be able to re-work himself into becoming a promising young point guard, whether he’s motivated by incentive (big free agency money) or insult (they didn’t offer me a deal (money), so I’m going to make my value super high and walk at the end of the year (money)) .

I doubt the tutelage of Nick Van Exel or the scheme of Larry Drew would change the mentality of Jennings, but perhaps a motivated Jennings is better than anything the Bucks could put together for next season. Possibly wishful thinking, but again, crazier things have happened.

This would appear to be the front-running strategy this offseason, as the Bucks have already made an extension offer to Ellis. There also hasn’t been an expressed desire to move on from either of these two guards. Is it the best strategy, though? Could the Bucks be the architects of anything better?

THE REBUILDING PROCESS

Re “building.” Get it? Heyooo!

This is regarded the most unpopular process, if you’re anything like Herb Kohl. He is vehemently against ”tanking” or dramatically rebuilding. While that may seem ludicrous, he [kind of] has a point. Just because your team is deciding to bottom out in the hopes of finding a superstar in the top three picks of the upcoming draft, doesn’t mean you’ll automatically climb right out of the dregs of the league.

Is there a strategy in here that is better than anything discussed heresofar?

Option A: The supertank

Likability factor: 2/3 out of 10

Likelihood: 0 out of 10

How it would work: The Bucks get a little insane and decide that the 2014 draft is where they’ll establish the new edition of the franchise. They trade Larry Sanders and John Henson for pick(s), and they take on expensive expiring deals for more and more picks.

This is not going to happen. There’s no chance the Bucks are dealing either big man this offseason. The only reason some people may be in support of this is because they are married to the idea that the 2014 draft will provide the Bucks with multiple stars. Too bad that won’t happen.

How it would work: The Bucks let the backcourt trio walk, draft the best guard available at 15, sign enough role players to small or tradeable deals to meet the cap floor (90 percent of the salary cap), hope that you’re bad enough for a solid 2014 draft position.

This doesn’t seem too far-fetched. Though it’s expected that the Bucks may dip their toe into the deep end of the free agency pool, they by no means have to. The Bucks would have enough decent players to make the year watchable, and they wouldn’t be in any type of stranglehold financially. Some people (myself included) are not fans of waiting for a player or draft position to fall into your lap, so this isn’t the most satisfying direction the Bucks could take. It is close to ideal, though.

DAL gets: rid of their pick they’re not high on, cap relief for a huge free agent push in the next two summers

Eureka! This must be it, correct? Not only would the Bucks get two first-round picks, but they would have plenty of cap space to work with despite the pricey expiring deals, and an extremely young nucleus to construct a legitimate basketball blueprint around. They could completely re-invent the backcourt with any combination of guards that fit Larry Drew’s new vision, too. If there was ever anything a small market can do to simultaneously win over a pessimistic fanbase* and demonstrate a dedication to a promising future, a future that isn’t exactly certain in Milwaukee, this is that move.

If you were to ask any knowledgeable Bucks fan or media member, and I can assure you that they would accept a year or two of unimpressive basketball if it meant that they could be making deep-to-very deep runs in the playoffs in the semi-near future.

Larry Drew said at his introductory press conference that he was committed to putting out the best product that the city could be proud from day one. He may be good enough of a coach to back up his talk. It could just look a little different than what we are expecting, and that may not be a bad thing.

The Milwaukee Bucks hadn’t really inspired much excitement with their past three pre-draft workouts, but the story was different on Saturday.

There has been a rumor casually floated out about their desire to move up in the draft for a less risky prospect, but if that doesn’t amount to anything–and it’s very likely that it won’t–Kentavious Caldwell-Pope should be a high priority on the Bucks draft wish list.

The 6-foot-6 shooting guard has slowly been creeping up the draft boards, but the Bucks have had their eye on him for a while now. He was their first interview at the Chicago pre-draft combine.

KCP has gained attention for his ability to shoot the ball, but Director of Scouting Billy McKinney highlighted another aspect of his game.

“He takes great pride in individual defense. Obviously he’s known as a shooter and a scorer, but I think defense is one of his strengths.”

On a somewhat lighter note, KCP mentioned that he arrived in Milwaukee a day early and got a tour of the city. He, like last year’s pick John Henson, thought that Lake Michigan was beautiful and enjoyed the city as a whole. Does it matter? No, but sometimes it’s just nice to feel loved. Moving on.

Ledo’s case is an unusual one. Despite being a highly sought after guards coming out of high school, he never stepped foot on a college court, due to a shakey past.

Reports suggest that he has matured substantially since the abnormal ”one-and-done” season. Ledo also added that the reason he was academically ineligible was due to falling short half of a credit, which should eradicate any of the character questions regarding that situation.

There’s no denying Ledo’s talent, though. With his size and ability to create offense, he may be worth the gamble for the Bucks, should he begin to climb up draft boards or the Bucks decide to move down.

Ledo is projected to be a late first round pick, while the other guys have projections ranging from the mid-to-late second round to being undrafted.

Allen Crabbe, who was scheduled to work out today, withdrew due to an injury. McKinney said that they still planned on bringing Crabbe in at a later date The Bucks have their next workout scheduled for Monday, and have a maximum of two after that.

]]>http://www.bucksketball.com/2013/06/kentavious-caldwell-pope-headlines-bucks-sixth-workout/feed/5Bucks fifth draft workout: Pair of Badgers get a shot, John Henson gets stronger, Larry Drew gets more praisehttp://www.bucksketball.com/2013/06/bucks-fifth-draft-workout-pair-of-badgers-get-a-shot-john-henson-gets-stronger-larry-drew-gets-more-praise/
http://www.bucksketball.com/2013/06/bucks-fifth-draft-workout-pair-of-badgers-get-a-shot-john-henson-gets-stronger-larry-drew-gets-more-praise/#commentsFri, 14 Jun 2013 15:51:08 +0000http://www.bucksketball.com/?p=7951Thursday’s draft workout participants, including to Wisconsin Badgers, stretch it out at the end of the workout.

The Milwaukee Bucks conducted their fifth draft workout Thursday morning. The big names were not were not in attendance, but some popular faces headlined today’s group.

Former Badger forwards Jared Berggren and Mike Bruesewitz, along with UW-Milwaukee guard Paris Gulley, Colorado forward Andre Roberson, Farmingdale State forward/center AJ Matthews, and Santa Clara guard Kevin Foster all got a chance to prove themselves today. None of them are projected right now to be drafted, but all the guys are enjoying the attempt to find a spot on a roster. Bruesewitz, in particular, is enjoying everything.

” This is a pretty sweet life I’m living right now. I’m not doing a whole lot. I work out in the mornings, hang out, and then I work out at night. I get to nap in the afternoon. I’m having a pretty good time. I get to come up here, work out, show my skills off to these guys. They have free Gatorade and I get lunch. It’s a great feeling.”

The self-proclaimed ”6’7” ginger” is keen on finding his niche in this league as a defense and corner three specialist.

Berggren, listed at 6-foot-10, is eager to show his versatility throughout these workouts, and he’s already getting some advice on how to take advantage of pouncing on whatever opportunity he ends up getting. Former Badger and current Minnesota Timberwolves big man Greg Stiemsma had been in Minneapolis when Berggren worked out for the team, and he spent some with Berggren during and after the workout. Stiemsma spent time both overseas and in the D-League, so his experience could come in handy for players like Berggren.

Berggren is in a busy stretch with his audition, with workouts scheuled in Orlando, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles (Clippers) in the next two weeks.

ADDITIONAL DRAFT NOTES

Billy McKinney said that John Henson looked “much better physically” while he was here working out the past week, noting that he looked to have added 10-15 pounds of muscle in the offseason.

McKinney suggested that Saturday will be a really good workout with lots of talent coming in (hint: that means that some guys projected to go in the first round will be in).

Praise for Larry Drew keeps pouring in from the prospects. The players highlighted his teaching points as unique for these workouts. Bruesewitz took it even further.

“They got the right guy in here, trust me. I learned more in two hours of working with him than I have with a few guys I’ve worked with for a couple months. [He was] very impressive.”

Though the players are generally supposed to be the highlight of the pre-draft workouts, a couple of fresh faces caught the attention of Milwaukee Bucks media members Wednesday morning.

Atlanta Hawks assistant coach Bob Bender and Player Development Instructor Nick Van Exel were at the Cousins Center today, helping new head coach Larry Drew orchestrate the first pre-draft workout under the new regime. Though nothing has been confirmed yet, both are likely to be added to Drew’s staff soon.

Bender was an assistant coach with the Hawks these past two seasons. He served as an assistant with the Sixers from 2004-2011 and was an assistant under Mike Krzyzewski at Duke from 1983-1989.

Van Exel, a Kenosha native, spent 13 seasons in the NBA Spurs, Blazers, Warriors, Nuggets, Mavericks, and Lakers. After serving as an assistant at Texas Southern University, he joined the Hawks staff in 2010 and has been with the team since.

Their first workout in Milwaukee appeared to be a great success, so says Director of Scouting Billy McKinney.

“They did a great job. Coming in to a new situation, knowing what we’re trying to look for from the players, conducting a new routine is important for our players.” [There were] great teaching points that these guys made today, talking to the players about the importance of the attention to detail. It’s the little things in a basketball game that helps you win games and be successful.”

Bender and Van Exel are likely to be reunited with Hawks assistant Lester Conner as well. There hasn’t been any word on when the staff will officially be set by Drew, but it appears that the first few slots are being filled.

There will be plenty of vacancies to be occupied, as Bucks assistants Joe Wolf, Bill Peterson, Sidney Moncrief, Chris Gilmartin, and Anthony Goldwire have all been notified that their contracts will not be renewed under the new leadership.

]]>http://www.bucksketball.com/2013/06/nick-van-exel-bob-bender-likely-to-be-added-to-bucks-coaching-staff/feed/3Bucks, Ellis can’t agree on two year extension. Ugh.http://www.bucksketball.com/2013/06/bucks-ellis-cant-agree-on-two-year-extension-ugh/
http://www.bucksketball.com/2013/06/bucks-ellis-cant-agree-on-two-year-extension-ugh/#commentsFri, 07 Jun 2013 20:55:30 +0000http://www.bucksketball.com/?p=7911Monta Ellis has been offered a lucrative extension but turned it down, according to reports. (USA Today Sports.)

It has been surmised for a while now that Ellis was going to opt out and search for either more money or a reunion with an old friend. Ellis has until June 20th to arrive at a decision on the early player termination option.

Ellis had one of his least efficient years this past season, averaging 19 points a contest on 18 shots, while shooting 42 percent from the field. He did technically help lead his team to their goal of making the playoffs, but ended up withering down the stretch, both on the court and in the locker room.

It’s hard to detect what is more confounding at this point. Is Monta nuts for turning down an offer that he likely won’t get elsewhere, or are the Bucks almonds for believing that Ellis is still an integral part of their vision heading forward?

This is going to be the first domino to fall in what many claim as a crucial offseason for the Bucks. Come June 20th, we should have a slightly more clear idea of what direction this team wants to head in. Then again, maybe nobody will ever know.

]]>http://www.bucksketball.com/2013/06/bucks-ellis-cant-agree-on-two-year-extension-ugh/feed/18Bucks workout potential second round picks while Billy McKinney says they have not made any guarantees in round onehttp://www.bucksketball.com/2013/06/bucks-workout-potential-second-round-picks-while-billy-mckinney-says-they-have-not-made-any-guarantees-in-round-one/
http://www.bucksketball.com/2013/06/bucks-workout-potential-second-round-picks-while-billy-mckinney-says-they-have-not-made-any-guarantees-in-round-one/#commentsWed, 05 Jun 2013 19:39:25 +0000http://www.bucksketball.com/?p=7903Korie Lucious was one of two locals invited to workout with the Bucks today. (Photo: Iowa Sports Daily)

The Milwaukee Bucks held their third draft workout this morning in advance of the June 27th Draft. As opposed to the last crop of guys, today’s participants are hoping to sneak into the second round or snag a spot on a Summer League roster, in hopes to make it to a training camp.

The two most recognizable names that worked out today were Trent Lockett and Korie Lucious. Lockett, a 6-foot-5 wing, was a starter for the Marquette squad that made it to the Elite Eight this past season and Lucious, a 5-foot-11 guard, was a high school standout in Milwaukee before he left for Michigan State. He then transferred to Iowa State to finish out his collegiate eligibility after he was dismissed from the Spartans.

Director of scouting Billy McKinney offered a little bit of insight into the Bucks strategy, stating that a few of the guys they brought in were being looked at with the 43rd pick (most likely Stephens or Dedmon).

Also, when asked about the rumored guarantees made to European players Sergey Karasev and Dennis Schröder, McKinney made it clear how the Bucks operate.

“We haven’t done that. Different teams have different philosophies about how they approach that. I think it’s good, especially at 15 or 43, having an idea of who’s going to be there and having an open mind. There’s a lot of things that compact how you’re going to draft, based on what happens at draft day.”

The Bucks next scheduled workout will take place on June 12th. There should be three or four more workouts scheduled after that.

]]>http://www.bucksketball.com/2013/06/bucks-workout-potential-second-round-picks-while-billy-mckinney-says-they-have-not-made-any-guarantees-in-round-one/feed/7Highlights from the Larry Drew introductionhttp://www.bucksketball.com/2013/06/highlights-from-the-larry-drew-introduction/
http://www.bucksketball.com/2013/06/highlights-from-the-larry-drew-introduction/#commentsMon, 03 Jun 2013 18:39:17 +0000http://www.bucksketball.com/?p=7896Larry Drew is officially introduced as the next Bucks head coach.

Larry Drew was officially introduced as the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks at a press conference this morning. Both the man and his coaching philosophy/strategy highlighted the introduction, which was paramount in the decision made by General Manager John Hammond.

“We talked to coaches that coached. We talk to head coaches that he served as an assistant under. We talked to executives that he worked under. We talked to players that he coached for. In almost every single one of those conversations, almost every single person started those conversations talking about Larry Drew as the man…..and they also ended talking about the man….it makes our decision very easy. We know we have a great coach, but knowing we have a great man makes it more exciting.”

Before Drew even began talking about his coaching tactics, he acknowledged and thanked his family, Senator Herb Kohl, Hammond, and John Henson, who had changed his travel plans to be in attendance today. Drew cracked that he thought it was great that Henson “got on the coach’s side right away” by showing up.

As for the basketball side of things, Drew stressed commitment, relationships, and being on the same page.

Commitment was the buzzword of the day. Drew has had experience with rosters in flux before, with last season being his most difficult test. With nine free-agents and a coach on an expiring deal, the Hawks could have easily fallen off the tracks. Drew and his staff kept everyone on track by “forcing them to play the right way.” With the departure of Joe Johnson the previous year, the Hawks had to completely revamp their offense, and they ended up finishing this past season second in team assists.

The Bucks didn’t have that type of success offensively, but Drew isn’t concerned.

“They finished 28th in the league in field goal percentage last year,” he said. “We can improve that. That can be an easy adjustment. It’s a matter of players committing, just like my guys did in Atlanta.”

To achieve this commitment, everyone is going to have to be on the same page, which didn’t appear to be the case for the home stretch last year. This may be where Drew stood out the most.

In order to get on the same page as the players, Drew’s approach is to “recognize the player as an individual.” He definitely takes pride in establishing a strong bond between coach and player.

“When you’re on the same page, good things happen…It’ s more than running up and down a basketball court. It’s going to lunch or dinner with your player, getting out there and shooting baskets with your player, just something to form that bond with your player. It’s something that works for me. I do it because I care about these guys, not just as ball players, but as young men. These guys have to understand that I understand and believe in what I do.”

This “buddy” ideal is all well and good, but you still have to play the game. So how will Drew bring the most out of whatever roster is in place this fall?

It will begin with defining roles within the team. Drew said that he plans to sit down every player [under contract] and discuss with them what he thinks their role is on the team and will allow feedback from the players. The objective, not surprisingly, is to get on the same page with everyone individually to “put forth a product that the city can be proud of.”

Offensively, Drew is not a fan of predictability. In stretches of games last year (especially towards the end of close games), the Bucks offense would get disturbingly stagnant and predictable, and the production would suffer greatly. Under Drew, the offense will be expected to not take that form, because “when you’re predictable, you become a stationary target.” Drew expects everyone to be both committed and involved on both ends of the floor. Not everyone will be expected to produce quality numbers, but everyone will be active and a part of the scheme.

Defensively, Drew believes that the Bucks aren’t that far away from being successful. With the emergence of Larry Sanders and Henson last season, the Bucks have something to build a defense around. The key to making it consistently great is to make the necessary in-game adjustments and adapting to whatever is thrown at them. Drew said that having the most solid game plan going into the game means nothing unless you are prepared to adjust and adapt to the counter-punches. The Bucks will be prepared to use multiple defensive looks and they will be ready to adapt to whatever the situation calls for. That’s the most important aspect to his defense.

When asked about how confident he was that he could implement his styles and “winning” ways to the Bucks, Drew replied, “Oh, I’m confident. I’m over-confident [that it will work].”

Larry Drew seems convinced that he will be able to hit the ground running with this team and they will be able to make progress year by year in an effort to restore some excitement and credibility to this franchise. If Drew can handle the regular season as well as he handled his introductory press conference, he may just be the man to accomplish that tall task.

The Milwaukee Bucks breakout star posted this picture on his instagram account the other day and everything about it is perfect. Not only is it an ad for the Make-A-Wish foundation, it’s also….I mean look at it. How cool is this photo?

How is this physically possible? Simply put, it doesn’t matter. I’m just glad this exists.

Sometimes it’s pretty great. For instance, when people rush to the aid of someone in need without any hesitation? Good on them. That’s awesome. However, when we rush to a conclusion about something we may not know a whole lot about? Not so good. In fact, that’s pretty unsavory.

Such is life of the Bucks fan, though. We can’t help but be reactionary. It’s tough, really. We can’t be blamed for being this way. After years and years of being stuck in mediocrity and being led to believe that plans outside of five years down the road didn’t exist, we fans may have gone a little off of our collective rockers.

That being said, insanity is no excuse for ignorance, which finally gets us to the point. With yesterday’s hiring of Larry Drew to be the 13th head coach in Milwaukee Bucks franchise history, a majority of the people made quick work to question the move. It can’t be proven that we are wrong, it just seems a little too premature to make such a judgement on a guy a lot of us don’t know much about.

That’s why I enlisted the help of Robby Kalland, a writer over at Peach Tree Hoops and all-around brilliant guy. He’s been closer to Larry Drew during his time in Atlanta than anyone in Milwaukee, and he offered some insight into what to expect with the new head coach. It may not ease our anxieties, but at least we’ll have something to chew on instead of formulating opinions on just the bare bones. Let the Q&A begin!

Eric: So Bucks fans aren’t exactly beaming after this hire. The reasons vary, but a majority of the response is that they don’t feel Drew is an inspiring hire. Is there merit to that? Talk us off the ledge here. Why should we be excited about Larry Drew?

Robby: There is definite merit to that thought. Larry is a good coach but I don’t think even the biggest Drew fan (like me) would put him in the elite category of coaches, but he’s definitely not among the worst. However, there needs to be some realism when it comes to the coaching search. Not many of the top candidates, either former head coaches or top assistants, are going to look at Milwaukee as one of their top destinations, so choices are limited. Kelvin Sampson was supposedly the other top candidate for the job so it is understandable for the Bucks front office to go in the direction of the proven commodity. Is it “inspiring?” Not necessarily, but would Sampson really have been “inspiring” either?

As to why Bucks fans should be excited, Drew’s had relative success in similar situations. As a team in transition, Drew has proven himself to be able to take an ever-changing roster and get the most out of it (see: 2012-13 Hawks). He has experience with moody stars that like to take jump shots (see: Josh Smith). Drew is very much a players coach, and that might be a nice change of pace considering there was a clear dislike in the locker room for the hard-line regime of Scott Skiles.

Eric: What kind of coach is Drew? What can we expect? What are his strengths and weaknesses?

Robby: Drew’s true skills as an offensive coach finally came through this year without the crutch of Iso-Joe [Johnson] there to lean on. Drew showed himself as one of the best ATO (after timeout) play-callers in the NBA last year, and did an excellent job taking advantage of the athleticism and passing ability of Josh Smith and Al Horford with the 4-5 pick-and-roll. Drew’s offense will mold to fit the Bucks personnel, but the basic principle of his offensive scheme is to create a lot of motion and ball movement to apply pressure to the defense.

You can also expect to see a team-oriented defensive scheme that will take advantage of LARRY SANDERS! defensive prowess on the interior. Drew emphasizes three H’s on defense: Hands, Havoc, and Hustle. He wants perimeter players to be active with pressure on the ball, and for bigs to look to disrupt passes around the paint. He will tell his players to push the ball in transition and, for better or worse, will allow more players than just the guards to bring the ball up the floor (MORE POINT LARRY SANDERS!). Drew will also mix in zone looks when he feels like the opposition has mismatches on the perimeter.

His biggest weakness has been struggling to make proper in-game adjustments. Drew often has a good game-plan entering the game and will make necessary adjustments at the half should the team fall behind early, but he does not do well making changes in the middle of quarters. He is very predictable in his rotations, will always pull a player if they get two fouls in the first half, and abides by the “hot-hand” rule to a fault. His rotations will frustrate both fans and players at times, and if a defense shuts down the initial game-plan he is not quick to make the necessary adjustments.

Eric: A lot of Bucks fans were hoping for some semblance of a rebuild. The hiring of Drew, right now, suggests a different direction. We’re all confused. Can Larry Drew help turn the Bucks around, one way or the other?

Robby: Drew, like his predecessor Mike Woodson, has been labeled as a coach that is not rookie-friendly. While Drew does tend to play veterans over young players, he and his staff did an excellent job this past season developing John Jenkins and Mike Scott into very solid players. Drew’s signing does seem to suggest that the Bucks will look to remain a fringe playoff contender in the coming years, but it does not mean there won’t be an opportunity to develop young players.

The bigger issue for the Bucks is not Larry Drew, but what to do with guys like Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings. I don’t think the organization is going to go for a “blow it up” strategy and the Larry Drew hire seems to solidify that belief, but, as we saw last year in Atlanta, Drew has no problem dealing with a rotating cast of players which he very well may face in his tenure in Milwaukee.

Well, there you have it. While your opinion on the hire may not have changed as a result of reading this, at least you can get to know about the guy before you begin your riots.

]]>http://www.bucksketball.com/2013/06/a-larry-drew-crash-course/feed/7Bucks make Larry Drew their next head coachhttp://www.bucksketball.com/2013/05/bucks-make-larry-drew-their-next-head-coach/
http://www.bucksketball.com/2013/05/bucks-make-larry-drew-their-next-head-coach/#commentsFri, 31 May 2013 23:42:59 +0000http://www.bucksketball.com/?p=7877Larry Drew is the next head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. (Photo: SI.com)

The Milwaukee Bucks have hired Larry Drew as their next head coach, .

The specifics of the deal have yet to be released, but reports say that it is a three year deal with a team option for the fourth year. This comes as a bit of a surprise, as it was believed that Rockets assistant Kelvin Sampson was the leading candidate for the position (at least among the media) . Nevertheless, Drew is the guy.

Drew spent the last three seasons as head coach of the Atlanta Hawks, amassing a 128-102 record and playoff berths in each of those seasons. He became available after a first round dismissal via the Indiana Pacers and the Hawks recent hiring of Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer as their next head coach.

The Bucks finished this past season with a 38-44 record, good enough to grab the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. They were then dismantled by the Miami Heat.